Do you have pain in the back of the neck, upper or lower back?
Do you have a slouchy posture with a hunched back you can’t seem to fix?
Is your pelvis rotated forward and constantly creating tension in the low back?
If you’ve said yes to any of the above, your erector spinae muscles may need some training. Keep reading to find out more about it!
The erector spinae are a group of muscles that run the length of the whole spine, from the neck to the tailbone, located on either side of the spine. Their primary action is to extend the spine (backward bending), thereby allowing us to maintain an upright posture. If you’ve ever watched babies go through their developmental milestones, you know that sitting or standing up against gravity is no small feat, and we owe a lot of our ability to do so to the amazing erector spinae!
Though it may not be obvious to the eye, our spines are constantly moving in all three dimensions as we move. One key function of the erector spinae muscles during movement is to slow down and prevent excessive flexion (forward bending) of our spine. For example, when our foot makes initial contact with the ground during gait, the natural movement that occurs in our spine is flexion. Without the proper action of the erector spinae muscles, there would be a significant lack of force opposing spinal flexion, making it difficult to keep upright as we walk. Such inefficient joint mechanics during movement may also lead to postural dysfunctions or pain in different areas of the body, like the low back.
This exercise trains this key function of the erector spinae muscles. Try it out and let us know how it went!
